When Clifton City Councilwoman Rosie Pino, a Republican, launched a campaign against Rep. Nellie Pou (D-North Haledon) last week, she wasted no time in criticizing the first-term congresswoman: Pou hails from “an increasingly extreme and out-of-touch Democratic Party,” Pino said, and “has put partisan politics over working across the aisle to get things done.”
But just last year, a group led by Pino was singing a very different tune. Latino Leaders for Clifton, a civic organization that lists Pino as its founder and executive director, endorsed Pou for Congress in 2024, calling the then-state senator “the best candidate to represent us in Washington, D.C.”
“Nellie’s unwavering commitment to fighting corporate greed, ensuring affordable housing, and defending a woman’s right to make her own medical decisions reflects the core mission of Latino Leaders of Clifton: to give power back to the people,” the group’s endorsement states. “Nellie Pou has always fought for us, and now it’s time for us to stand with her.”
Pou, who became New Jersey’s first Latina congresswoman, was one of four candidates the group endorsed in 2024; the others were Marla Saracino and Assad Mujtaba, both Republicans who lost races for county office in Passaic County, and Ed Nunez, who lost a nonpartisan race for Clifton City Council.
It’s not clear how Latino Leaders of Clifton makes its endorsements, and the group lists eight other people as part of its leadership team. It’s fairly clear, though, that Pino is the group’s leader; she promoted her founding role when she launched her campaign just last week, and the group’s website includes a “Team Pino 2024” copyright disclaimer at the bottom.
Pino and her campaign did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
The group’s endorsement has already caught the eye of Billy Prempeh, the GOP nominee for the 9th district in 2020, 2022, and 2024 and Pino’s only primary competition thus far in the 2026 race. Prempeh – the Republican whom the group bypassed by supporting Pou last year – said on social media that the endorsement should make Republicans distrust Pino’s motives.
“Only in NJ can a RINO back a Dem, then switch,” he said. “This is why people don’t trust politics.”
The Republican primary in the 9th district remains unsettled, and given Prempeh’s early attacks on Pino, could grow ugly quite quickly. Prempeh commands loyalty among much of the 9th district Republican rank-and-file, but he has had issues raising enough money to run a serious campaign, and some Republican leaders are interested in finding alternate contenders – be they Pino or some other, as-yet-unknown challenger.
Pou, for her part, is busy gearing up for the first genuinely competitive campaign of her 30-year electoral career. She was selected last year to succeed the late Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-Paterson) for what was thought to be a safe seat, but 9th district voters unexpectedly opted for Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential race, and Pou is a top GOP target in 2026.